The Chord Progression Famous Guitar Players Use ALL THE TIME
The Chord Progression Famous Guitar Players Use ALL THE TIME
Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This blog post transcribes my YouTube lesson on the 1–4–5 chord progression — the backbone of a huge amount of guitar music.
You're at a party itching to play. It feels like too many chords. Don't worry. 1–4–5 (Roman numerals I–IV–V) is in rock, pop, country, you name it. Songs like I Love Rock 'n' Roll, Johnny B. Goode, La Bamba, Brown Eyed Girl. Master three chords and you unlock hundreds of songs.
Why They're Called 1, 4, and 5
In the key of G major, 1–4–5 is G, C, and D.
Notes of the G major scale: G, A, B, C, D, E, F-sharp, G.
- G = first note → one chord
- C = fourth note → four chord
- D = fifth note → five chord
Open chords work. I want you to be able to move this around and play in any key, so we're switching to power chords.
The Moveable Shape
G power chord (one): first finger on the sixth string, third fret. Third and fourth fingers on the fifth fret of the fifth and fourth strings.
C power chord (four): same shape, shift down a string (toward the floor — that's up in pitch). First finger now on the fifth string, third and fourth on the fourth and third strings.
D power chord (five): take that four-chord shape and slide it up two frets to five and seven.
You can play them as power chords, do a blues shuffle with them, or play them as major barre chords (we're not using minor chords for this). However you play them, recognize the root-note pattern:
- One: root on the sixth string (G)
- Four: root on the fifth string (C)
- Five: root on the fifth string, two frets higher (D)
That pattern is the most important thing.
Same Pattern, Any Key
Find one root. Then you know all three.
Key of B-flat: from G, walk up the sixth string — G, G-sharp, A, B-flat. That's your one. Shift down a string for four. Up two frets for five. (When I played in jazz band, B-flat was the most common key.)
Key of F-sharp: find F-sharp on the sixth string (E, F-sharp). That's one. Shift strings — that's B (four). Slide two frets — C-sharp (five).
Do you have to know those names right now? No. You just have to know: this is one, this is four, this is five. Music is patterns.
Homework Progressions
Find 1–4–5 in any key. Start in A.
- One, five, four, back to one
- One, four, one, five
- One, four, five, back to four
And the most common 1–4–5 on guitar: 12-bar blues.
From the lesson: one, four, back to one, then four, then one, then five, four, one, then five and end on one.
Practice Tips
Spend 15 minutes a day on this pattern and the transitions. You don't even have to know the note names yet — know the shape of 1–4–5 on the neck. If you want a simple place to start, grab my free Top 10 Things to Learn on Guitar First at http://simpleguitar.com/top10.
And hang out with other adult guitar players in the Simple Guitar Facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/simpleguitar.
About the Author
Brad from Simple Guitar helps adult learners play the songs they love without the frustration. Visit simpleguitar.com for more free resources and lessons.
